Existential-Identity Reconstruction of the Servicemember’s Personality as a Key Sociocultural Dimension of Ukrainian Military Chaplaincy

Abstract

The article offers a comprehensive study of Ukrainian military chaplaincy as one of the fundamental mechanisms of the existential and identity-based reconstruction of the servicemember’s personality under the dehumanizing impact of armed conflict. Chaplaincy is examined not merely as a means of meeting the religious needs of military personnel, but as a multidimensional sociocultural institution operating at the intersection of pastoral theology, trauma psychology, the sociology of identity, and practices of moral and value-based integration. Particular attention is devoted to the fact that, in wartime, military chaplaincy performs not a peripheral but a system-forming function, since it contributes to the restoration of the inner integrity of the person, disrupted by experiences of violence, loss, the constant threat of death, and the destruction of familiar normative and meaning-generating structures. It is argued that combat reality causes not only psycho-emotional exhaustion, but also profound shifts in self-perception, moral self-determination, and ideas about the limits of what is permissible, thereby creating a need not only for psychological stabilization, but also for the restoration of the existential foundations of personal being. A distinct analytical emphasis is placed on the specificity of the Ukrainian model of military chaplaincy, which is distinguished by institutional flexibility, a multiconfessional character, adaptability to frontline realities, and the capacity to integrate the deep cultural codes of Ukrainian society. It is shown that the effectiveness of chaplaincy ministry in Ukraine is determined not only by its religious legitimacy, but also by its rootedness in nationally significant archetypal structures, in particular the images of the «Father», «Mother Ukraine», and the «Kin», which provide a symbolic link between the servicemember’s personal sacrifice, collective memory, and the idea of the historical continuity of national existence. It is concluded that Ukrainian military chaplaincy should be interpreted as a fully developed institution of existential support. The study demonstrates that chaplaincy functions as a kind of «existential shield» that not only mitigates the destructive impact of traumatic experience, but also facilitates its transformation into a resilient national-patriotic identity.